How Those with Disabilities Can Choose the Right Kind of Business to Start

While traditional employment can be difficult for people with disabilities, owning your own business can provide a better opportunity for success. If you create your own business from the ground up, you can tailor it to suit your specific needs and make sure than you are not facing any disadvantages in the workplace. Here are some ways to ensure you choose the right kind of business.

Balance Your Business Model With Your Own Limitations

For your small business to succeed, you need to be good at what you do and there needs to be a market for what you provide. Without one or the other, the chances of your business staying afloat and better yet, turning a real profit, are minimal.

There are many types of businesses that succeed. Businesses that fill a need gap in the community, ones that perform jobs that other people don’t want to do, ones that create speciality products that have a committed market, and ones that perform a service or provide a good that’s better than what’s already available. As a person living with a disability, you must figure out a way to tap into one (or more) of those business models while doing something that is feasible. It’s not weak to recognize and plan around your own physical or mental limitations – it’s simply smart business.

One suggestion is to “talk to people who own businesses similar to the one(s) you are considering and find out what challenges they face. Evaluate these challenges in terms of your own personal strengths. The business you ultimately choose should build on your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.”

If you require the use of a wheelchair, for instance, a business where you must maneuver tight spaces and make regular stair climbs may be the wrong choice. If you have a service dog, you might want to consider how your regular business appointments, meetings, and other responsibilities will be affected by that. In the end, your greatest strength is being realistic.

Rely on Your Existing Skills and Turn Those into a Business

If you have a dream business in mind – one that exists in a field that’s completely foreign to you at the moment – your path to success can be a bit tricky. There’s nothing wrong with following passions, but passion doesn’t always equate to business success. Many find that it’s easier to succeed when you build your new business on top of an existing skill framework.

For some, this means turning a hobby into a full-time job. If you love tinkering with electronics, offer your services to repair others’ broken gadgets. If you are an artist, consider making an online marketplace for your art and selling it at your own set prices. If you’re a writer, consider freelance work.

If you have professional skills – ones you may have amassed through years of work at someone else’s company – you can put them to good use as a consultant or online tutor. You can also attempt to freelance your services like marketing, accounting, public relations, human resources, and other skills.

With any of this sort of self-starting business, it’s good for those with some disabilities to be able to rely on the internet and working from home. It has never been easier to make your own website, and through the power of the web, there are many ways for those with mobility issues to succeed without having to leave their own homes.

When it comes to choosing a business plan and starting your own company, those with disabilities first need to be realistic about their strengths and weaknesses. It also helps to consider your existing skills – both professional and recreational – and use them to build a business.

Article Submitted by Guest Blogger: Erica Francis from readyjob.org

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com